Bridgewater Revolutionary War site, Wemple property, to be purchased by township

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Bob Makin, @ReporterBMakin

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Bridgewater councilmen Howard Norgalis, left, and Filipe Pedroso congratulate Bob Vaucher on helping to preserve a Revolutionary War site at Foothill and Steele Gap roads. The council is expected to approve the $1.9 million purchase of the historic site on Aug. 6. Behind them is Vaucher's neighbor Gene Francis.(Photo11: Bob Makin/staff photo)Buy Photo

BRIDGEWATER -- After a decade of fighting development and raising funds to ensure preservation, neighbors of the Wemple Property, whose spring was used by Gen. George Washington’s troops and horses during the seasonal Middlebrook Encampment from 1777 to 1779, are weeks away from victory.

An ordinance to preserve the 32-acre Revolutionary War site on Steele Gap Road will receive a second reading on Aug. 6, after being unanimously approved by the council upon introduction on July 16.

The property would be purchased from developer Bridgewater Estates for $1.925 million, $1.15 million of which would come from the township’s Open Space Fund.

“I am delighted,” said retired Col. Bob Vaucher, a 99-year-old World War II hero and a lifelong friend of the Wemple family.

In addition to about $100,000 in individual donations gathered by Vaucher and his Steele Gap neighbors, David Stempien and Brendan Burns, funding also would include:

$250,000 from Somerset County

$250,000 from Trenton-based Crossroads of the American Revolution

$175,000 from Princeton-based D&R Greenway Land Trust.

Council members applauded the longtime preservation efforts of Vaucher, Stempien and Burns, which included enlisting the funding of the county, Crossroads and D&R Greenway. In May, the council gave them 30 days to secure $500,000 before the township would consider investing in the remainder of the purchase price. They raised nearly $300,000 more than that.

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World War II veteran Bob Vaucher wants Bridgewater Township to buy the property of his late neighbor, John Wemple, on Foothill Road.(Photo11: Mike Deak/Staff Photo)

“I, personally, am very happy that you were successful,” Councilman Felipe Pedroso said. “I think this property is worth the investment and having those donations is certainly a benefit to all our taxpayers. I feel that this property being preserved for open space will have tremendous benefit to future generations of Bridgewater Township for years to come. I’ve been advocating for this purchase for a long time, so I’m very happy to see it come to fruition.”

Councilman Allen Kurdyla added, “I do believe that the action of all interested parties gives us a unique story to tell when you have two government agencies, private agencies, private residents getting involved. It certainly is a project that as years go by, everyone can be proud of having a hand in participating.”

Despite the township being 95 percent developed, the Wemple Property brings the recent total of municipal open space to 150 acres, Kurdyla said.

The site was added to the agenda of an ad-hoc mayoral history committee that will meet for the first time on July 17, Council President Christine Rose said.

“We going to talk about some of the historical properties that we have and what is the plan for some of those properties,” Rose said. “It will be exciting to add this to it.”

A look at three Perth Amboy historic sites: the General Surveyors Office, a statue of city namesake the Earl of Perth, and City Hall, the oldest public building in continuous use in the United States. Both buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. Bob Makin/staff photo

Perth Amboy developer Barry Rosengarten stands beneath the replica arch of the Colonial Market Square he had commissioned in 1989 for the bicentennial of the singing of the Bill of Rights in what now is city hall and then was the state capitol. Bob Makin/staff photo

This replica Liberty Bell is one of only 13 given to each of the original U.S. colonies by France. Perth Amboy received it because it was the state capitol during the Revolutionary War. Bob Makin/staff photo

This replica Liberty Bell is one of only 13 given to each of the original U.S. colonies by France. Perth Amboy received it because it was the state capitol during the Revolutionary War. Bob Makin/staff photo

This replica Liberty Bell is one of only 13 given to each of the original U.S. colonies by France. Perth Amboy received it because it was the state capitol during the Revolutionary War. Bob Makin/staff photo

William Franklin was Royal Governor of New Jersey from 1763 until his 1776 arrest in the Proprietary House by American patriots. The museum hosts a re-enactment of the arrest every June. Bob Makin/staff photo

William Franklin was Royal Governor of New Jersey from 1763 until his 1776 arrest in the Proprietary House by American patriots. The museum hosts a re-enactment of the arrest every June. Bob Makin/staff photo

William Franklin was Royal Governor of New Jersey from 1763 until his 1776 arrest in the Proprietary House by American patriots. The museum hosts a re-enactment of the arrest every June. Bob Makin/staff photo

Other council business

The council also unanimously approved the introduction of an ordinance to create a voter referendum about whether to allow the township to use its Open Space Fund for the acquisition and capital improvements of historic properties and structures. The final reading of and vote on the ordinance will be Aug. 6.

Other council business included a discussion about a township ban of the sale of recreational marijuana should the state legalize it. Township Attorney William Savo will draft an ordinance outlining the ban, which presently is permissible within pending state legislation.

Having called for the ban two months ago, Council Vice President Matthew Moench said, “It would be better to have something to protect our residents because the language of legislation could change. If we have nothing in place … we’re at the mercy of the state.”

The council also narrowly approved a $5,000 pay raise for CFO Natasha Turchan, along with an ordinance that would allow it to approve similar pay raises for other municipal employees in addition to salary adjustments within the municipal budget.

Along with an annually budgeted 2 percent raise, Turchan’s salary will increase from $123,000 to $132,000, said Moench, who voted against the ordinance, as did Pedroso.

“There’s no change in the CFO’s job responsibilities,” Moench said. “This was just a decision made by the administration that she should get more money. My position, along with Councilman Pedroso, is that irrespective of whether she deserves as a raise, there’s a budget process. If you want to discuss whether she should have a raise outside the 2 percent standard, do it through the budget process, which didn’t happen here.”